MedSolutions Introduces Spine Surgery Management Program

FRANKLIN, Tenn., July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- MedSolutions[1], a
leading provider of medical management services, today announced
the launch of its Lumbar Spine Surgery Management Program for
ensuring the clinical appropriateness of spine surgery for
individuals suffering from lower back pain, spinal stenosis,
spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, trauma, infections and degenerative
disc disease.

It has been estimated that up to 80 percent of the population
experiences low back pain during their lifetime, making it the
second most common reason for doctor's visits.(1) According to an
analysis conducted by the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project,
America's payors spend $18.8 billion(2) a year to treat low back
pain with lumbar spinal fusion surgery, a procedure that
immobilizes painful vertebrae by fusing one or more of the
bones.

Despite its growing popularity, recent studies have suggested
spinal fusion surgery can produce poor outcomes and may be
unnecessarily prescribed for many patients. According to a study
published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association, Medicare patients with spinal stenosis who
underwent complex fusion, a procedure in which two or more
vertebrae were fused, were nearly three-times more likely to have
life-threatening complications than patients who had a less
invasive procedure known as decompression.(3)

Another study showed that patients who had spinal fusion surgery
were less likely to return to work within two years after their
surgery than patients with similar conditions who did not have
surgery. Their rate of permanent disability was more than five
times higher and their daily intake of powerful narcotic
painkillers increased by 41 percent after surgery. Furthermore, 27
percent of the patients studied underwent repeat surgeries.(4)

"Unfortunately, there is a lack of convincing evidence that
surgery produces better outcomes than non-surgical